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Sitting here running RDF create scripts for a data push this weekend and going over the days events in my head.

One of the things you get as a consultant is the ability to get a glimpse of the political machinations of many different companies and to get a first-hand view of what does and doesn’t work.

One thing I’ve seen is about a million different attempts at integrating storage into various systems departments.  It never works.  It always ends up with departmental pissing contests over who owns what, and usually results in a company or orginization buying more storage than they need to in order to pacify the different warring factions.

Storage belongs by itself. Pure and simple, the only way I’ve ever seen it work storage is a department in and of itself, with it’s own staff, it’s own budget, and a little autonomy and freedom to make decisions, and to act with the peace of mind that you’re not having to work around someone else’s changes.

The main reason for this is that server people don’t have the time to understand the dynamics of a truly heterogenious storage environment.  Network people understand firewalls and routing (something that *STILL* puzzles me to a certain extent), etc.

A good storage person knows the basics of as many operating systems as they can.

For instance – the current environment I’m working in has the following systems:

• AIX
• Mainframe
• VMS
• AS/400
• Windows
• Linux
• VMWare

A good storage person knows the gotchas of each server, but may not know even how to log into the system.

For instance – for each of the systems listed above:

• AIX – mount the pseudo device powerpath creates (hdiskpowerX).  AIX is sensitive to D_ID changes (Switch port changes) but if you’re using the LVM there are no real worries, just have to be careful.
• Mainframe – Three words – Long Wave SFP’s
• VMS – Is actually sensitive to the SYMDEV number.  if you’re doing a data migration you have to move the data to the same SYMDEV number.
• AS400 – Boot from SAN using a Load Source Emulator – use the serial cable included with it to configure the boot device.  The boot device has to be on a separate port than the data devices.  Make sure Emulation is set correctly.
• Windows – Dynamic disks cause hell with replication and TimeFinder – don’t use them.
• Linux – make sure you use disk/partition labels so you can avoid issues if the LUN order changes.
• VMWare – SPC2 bit needs to be set on FA’s for DRS/HA Clustered hosts.  Best bet is to do this using Symmask to avoid conflicts with other hosts sharing these ports.

A good storage department would include:

Tier-1 (Symmetrix) expert

Tier-2 (Clariion) expert

Backup person

NAS person

just my thoughts.

Ok, I’ve been asked, and as of next week I will have worked as a consultant in all three different types of arrangements.  I thought it might be a good idea to explain the pros and cons of different consulting positions.

To sum it up, there are three different types of consultants.   The W2 (Or Salaried), The 1099 Direct, or the 1099 Corp-to-Corp.

 In this post, I’ll discuss the first type.

The W2 or “Salaried” Consultant

The W2 consultant (or “Slave”) is one who works for a firm and who gets the full benefits package.  While this can be a good thing, the drawbacks can and usually are many.

Pros

Salary – Having a salary is great during low periods or lulls in work.  Maybe you can get the company to spring for a refresher course or two to keep you marketable, etc. during this time, but it’s nice to know that no matter what your paycheck is coming in. 

Benefits – healthcare being what it is, a family can always depend on the Consulting firm to provide health benefits.  They may be more expensive than a “joe-job” but it’s good to have around.

Cons

Salary – Yes, this is a pro as well as a con.  Salaried employee gets paid a fixed amount per week / two weeks / pay period.  This means that any overtime he works is on him.  Since the firm is usually billing hourly for the consultant’s services, there is a lot of motivation to push consultants into overtime.  Of course, the consultant can say no, but that doesn’t keep you employed for long. 

Non-Compete – The most painful part of any Employer/Employee agreement is the “Non Compete Agreement”  Now in most states it’s largely unenforcable.  An employer can’t keep an employee from working in their field of expertise.  However, most consulting firms will require that you sign one and it will be horribly restrictive. 

I’ve been in the situation with a my first consulting firm, CTS, Inc. (who I have no problem naming as they don’t exist under this name any longer) where I had to move across the country in part because the non-compete I signed specifically said that the agreement was (to paraphrase) “restricted to the metropolitian area where services have been performed”  Well I was a consultant in California, and during that time had worked in Los Angeles, San Diego, Burbank, Phoenix, AZ, and Denver, CO.  I moved to Washington DC.

I still got sued by CTS for breaching the non-compete agreement, and it cost me over $8,000 in legal fees (as I had to defend myself in a Georgia Court) before they blushed and effectively said “Oops, sorry, my bad.” and withdrew their complaint.  They knew they had no case but wanted to make leaving painful, probably as an example to others who might leave.

The same thing has happened with the most recent one I worked for, though in this case, since I went to work for my previous employer (not as a consultant.)

The non-compete is used to bully employees from making positive career moves (which are definately not going to happen as long as a consultant is billable, see my point below.)

Career Path – A Salaried consultant who is consistently billable has no career path.  I say it again – NO CAREER PATH.  There is no motivation to keep the consultant moving forward, because moving a billable resource into a management position makes them increasingly less billable.  Therefore, it’s the people who don’t/can’t cut it as consultants who end up managing the ones who can.  As long as you’re bringing in the cash, you’re career is dead in the water, and of course, as to the above point, it’s not like you can quit and go to another consulting firm for the promotion can you.

Anyway – In my next installment I’ll profile the 1099-Direct, and why this can be one of the best ways to consult.